10 Mistakes Divers Make And How to Prevent Tem By Tec Clark www.scubaguru.com 10 Mistakes Divers Make And How To Prevent Them - Tec Clark Dedication .....................................................................................................1 Disclaimer .....................................................................................................2 About the Author .......................................................................................3 Preface ............................................................................................................6 Mistake #10 Buying Used Gear ..............................................................8 Mistake #9 Not Being Early for Dive Trips ........................................12 Mistake #8 Diving When Not Healthy ...............................................14 Mistake #7 Poor Dive Boat Etiquette ................................................17 Mistake #6 Too Many Cling-Ons .........................................................20 Mistake #5 Improper Defogging of Mask .......................................23 Mistake #4 Not Keeping the Mask On at the Surface .................26 Mistake #3 Not Taking Refresher Training .......................................29 Mistake #2 Not Equalizing Properly ..................................................31 Mistake #1 Abbreviated Training .......................................................35 Final Words From Tec ..............................................................................38 10 Mistakes Divers Make And How To Prevent Them - Tec Clark Dedication This eBook is dedicated to the many 1ine diving educators at the wonderful institutions in which I have served: Nova Southeastern University Academic Diving Program University of Florida Academic Diving Program Emory University Academic Diving Program Georgia State University Recreational Diving Program YMCA of the USA Scuba Program Broward Sheriff’s Of1ice Dive Rescue Team Dive and Marine Consultants International Pro Dive International Recreational Scuba Training Council I am privileged to call you all colleagues and friends. Special Thanks To My grandfather for countless hours on the ocean My mom for countless hours in the pool My wife and children for their love and support God for my gifts, talents, and His amazing underwater world www.scubaguru.com 1 10 Mistakes Divers Make And How To Prevent Them - Tec Clark Disclaimer 10 Mistakes Divers Make and How to Prevent Them by Tec Clark The information contained in this publication is for informational purposes only. This publication is intended for use by interested non-divers, currently certi1ied scuba divers, and scuba professionals. The tips, techniQues, and recommendations offered herein may not be in compliance with your respective scuba training agency's published training standards and procedures. Therefore, content in this publication is considered professional advice only and is NOT a substitute for professionally supervised training by a scuba training agency certiBied instructor. The advice that I give is my opinion based on my own experience. You should always seek the advice and training of your own certi1ied diving professional before engaging in diving activities or acting on something that I have published or recommended. Please understand that there are some links contained in this publication that I may bene1it from 1inancially. The material in this publication may include information, products, or services by third parties. Third party materials comprise of products and opinions expressed by their owners. For this reason, I do not assume responsibility or liability for any third party material or opinions. The publication of such third party materials does not constitute my guarantee of any information, instruction, opinion, products, or services contained within the third party material. Reference to third party material is simply a recommendation and an expression of my own opinion of that material. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, transmitted, or sold in whole or in part in any form, without the prior written consent of the author. All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing in this guide are the property of their respective owners. Users of this publication are advised to read the content contained herein at their own risk. By reading this publication, you agree that neither myself nor my company, Tec Clark, Inc., can be held liable for any negative outcomes as a result from any information presented in this publication. The content in the publication is intended to make you a safer, more competent, and more comfortable diver. ©2015 Tec Clark, Inc. All rights reserved. www.scubaguru.com 2 10 Mistakes Divers Make And How To Prevent Them - Tec Clark About the Author Raised in South Florida, Thomas E. Clark ("Tec") became pro1icient at skin and scuba diving at an early age. At the age of two, Tec impressed family members with his af1inity towards water. Tec's mother, a swim coach and lifeguard, taught him how to swim, and he eventually became a competitive swimmer. Tec's appreciation for the ocean was developed through freQuent deep-sea 1ishing trips with his grandfather. At the age of twelve Tec made his 1irst scuba dive with a family friend. Soon thereafter, he became a certi1ied diver and immediately pursued advanced ratings. In 1988 while attending the University of Florida, Tec enrolled in an Assistant Instructor course to earn "an easy two credits." But much more came from that course and it was not long before Tec became an instructor for the University of Florida Academic Diving Program (UFADP). Instructing at the nation's largest university dive training program Tec gained experience teaching in auditoriums of 200-plus students and certifying hundreds of divers per year. Prior to graduation, Tec moved back to South Florida and immersed himself in diving by being a divemaster and teaching scuba as an instructor for Orbit Marine Sports in Pompano Beach. In addition to instructing and divemastering, Tec was a volunteer public safety diver for the Broward County Sheriff's Of1ice. At this same time, Tec's passion for breath-hold diving grew daily as he enjoyed freediving off of dive boats and nearby beaches. In 1990, Tec returned to the University of Florida and became Managing Director of the UFADP. Through staf1ing and directing numerous instructor training courses, he honed a specialty in instructor development and training. Tec gained professional credentials with multiple diving organizations such as YMCA, NAUI, PADI, CMAS, DAN and DRI. www.scubaguru.com 3 10 Mistakes Divers Make And How To Prevent Them - Tec Clark SubseQuently, Tec received a Bachelor of Science in Recreation from the University of Florida, with an emphasis in Leisure Services Management. In the summer of 1996, Tec completed an internship with the YMCA Scuba Program headQuarters in Atlanta, Georgia. He continued working for the YMCA Scuba Program as a consultant responsible for special projects and development, then advanced to Assistant Director in 1997. In 1998, Tec became the National Associate Director for the YMCA of the USA Scuba Program. During his tenure at the YMCA Scuba Program, Tec was responsible for dramatic increases in skin and scuba diving participation among YMCA's nationally. He also served as Chair of the Recreational Scuba Training Council (RSTC) Medical Committee, Chair of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Underwater Activities Committee, and Board Member of the United States of America Underwater Federation. As an international freediving judge for CMAS, Tec judged the national record dive of Mehgan Heaney-Grier and the world record freshwater dive of Tanya Streeter. In 1998 Tec and US Freediving champion Mehgan Heaney-Grier founded the 1irst United States Freediving Team. Tec is a founding member of the United States Apnea Association (USAA) and served on its Board of Directors for two terms. In 2002, Tec was Captain of the US Freediving Team at the Paci1ic Cup of Freediving where the US Women's Team took 1irst place honors. In 2005 Tec became a forensic diving accident investigator for Dive and Marine Consultants International. In this role Tec was commissioned by dive industry defense attorneys to investigate diving incidents. In 2006 Tec founded ScubaGuru.com. Complete with articles and educational videos, ScubaGuru.com remains a resource website for scuba divers. Also in 2006 Tec joined Pro Dive International, an internationally known instructor training school, as Vice President of Program Development, then COO and eventually CEO. During his tenure at Pro Dive, Tec was responsible for overseeing operations of training, charters, and retail at one of the most chosen career development centers in the US. In 2008, Tec founded a diving ministry called Reef Ministries. www.scubaguru.com 4 10 Mistakes Divers Make And How To Prevent Them - Tec Clark Tec has appeared as a diving expert on A&E, The Learning Channel and The Outdoor Life Network. Tec has co-edited several diving texts, including writing the Introduction of Trailside's Guide to Scuba Diving, and he has authored numerous articles for Skin Diver Magazine. He is quoted in Rodale's Scuba Diving, Dive Training, The Dive Report, AQuatics International, and Scuba America: The Human History of Sport Diving. He has appeared in the YMCA of the USA Swim Lessons and Lifeguard training videos, and is a speaker and presenter at numerous diving industry